There is more to social networking than idle chatter. Social media has become the common denominator to promote opinions, ideas, strategies, etc. One facebook post lead to a revolution in Egypt; a blog post lead to the Occupy Wall Street movement; social media played a major role in electing a president. According to, Myeducation.com, “Social media has become the common denominator of promoting opinions, ideas, strategies, and campaigns. It has become a colossal force, eliminating any barrier that hinders contact between humans. It has become the bread and butter of any social movement; be it a campaign against bullying, a revolt against corruption or an attempt to spread awareness.”

Many schools block social networking sites; some provide limited access while others are working on creating a policy for effectively using facebook and twitter. As districts move toward a policy supporting social media in the classroom, what strategies do you currently use or if given the opportunity, what strategies would you use to promote mastery learning through collaboration and global connections?

A very good discussion topic Gail. I have heard all the arguments against allowing Social Media in the classroom. I agree that if controlled somehow it can prove to be an excellent and effective way for students to express their ideas and opinions. Some schools try to provide sights that imitate Facebook to allow a controlled environment for their teachers and students. I feel it will take a while for administrators to allow full access to sites like Twitter or Facebook. I have heard some teachers do it on their own or experiment with kids and their cellphones in class.

Do you believe the programs like edmondo and schoology that are used to imitate facebook can serve as good substitutes and provide the skills needed to successfully use facebook and teach safe and ethical use?

I do believe that edmodo and schoology are more secure to use. Because of the newness, I think that it's just wise to take smaller steps. Within edmodo and schoology, there is jsut a little bit more control. How does one moderate a group within facebook? I'm not sure of exactly how that might work. I know that I belong to different groups within facebook, but I'm not convinced (or ready) to use that as my main social media resource for school settings. It's just that unknown component.

I do knoww that there must be clear guidelines for being in the social media group. The big question will be, what should be done for inappropriate postings or postings against others?

Like you, I believe small steps are necessary. Using resources like Emodo and Schoology could be the necessary small steps need to help teachers understand social networking and how students are using it to communicate and share information. This could also be a start at teaching responsible internet use as well as the importance of ethics while communicating online.

I so agree that there should be much discussion about how social media should be incorporated into the curriculum. Should it be allowed? Some teachers will be able to handle that piece well, while others will really struggle with allowing social media connections. I do know that some teachers have allowed this connection to not only discussion and sharing of thoughts, but collaboration. Teachers will just need that training and support to make this a positive piece of learning.

In our case, internet access alone is very difficult so our school actually doesn't have any internet access. We can support the social media in the classroom but maybe we will be stock on the problem on social media connections .

This discussion is very timely. Last week I had a great discussion with my district's IT Director. Our conversation was about changes to our district policy for students and teachers. (Unfortunately, this document still carries over ideas and decisions of over ten years ago.) We spoke with the Curriculum Director who is going to set up a meeting for us with the person in District Administration who has responsibility for this. While I am excited for the opportunity, I'm not holding my breath. I've been helping promote such change for about five years now and have seen no change yet. Time will tell...

I am not sure my district will allow social media in the classroom (perhaps I'm wrong.) If we have the opportunity, I would love to see true collaboration done among students. I would also like to see students sharing learning with the world. I have seen the results of Blog comments and Wiki edits. I sincerely hope my students may begin interacting with the world in an online environment.

Most of these web 2.0 sites are blocked in my district. I must regularly request sites become unblocked. On a regular basis, sites that I used previously are being blocked by our district IT. To get a site unblocked, I must explain how use of the site will benefit my students, how it directly relates to my state curriculum, and why such a site should be allowed. With experience, I have learned that many of the sites I ask to have unblocked remain blocked. Patience ... that's what I keep reminding myself.

I don't actually oppose in the use of social media in schools, but, there are things to consider so this really would be a tool in an effective learning process. Will students not abuse it? will they not misuse it? Do we have ample strategies to monitor and control it?

I think that there is a fine line between collaborating using social media and the hazards of social media. I haven't thought much about this since I am not a teacher yet. But, I would think that school-based collaboration would be safer and more secure than sites such as facebook. I am going to school for elementary education. So, I think there is the issue of age appropriateness and honoring parents' wishes regarding how and when students are exposed to social media. When we get to high school, we also run into the occasional issue where teachers are inappropriately familiar with their students and almost take on a peer role rather than a leadership role. While I am not against the use of social media, I do think that it is brand new territory and there will be hazards along the way - those I mentioned and countless others we can't predict - that need to be fully addressed as they are discovered.

With the use of any internet resource, parent permission is important and it should be obtained at the start of the year. We have to remember that there are password protected sites that can be used to teach ethics, internet safety, collaboration, team work, and higher order thinking through discussions to build a strong educational base. My son teaches fifth grade students who use kids blog. Through their blogs, they are discussing elections and have created animal avatars that are sharing why they should be president of the environment in which they reside. My godson came over during the weekend and was excited to show me his edmodo and what he was doing in class through the site. If the social networking sites can get students to talk about education in a positive way outside of school . . . I am all for it!

I think there is some sort of difference between global collaboration and social media. Allowing social networking sites in classrooms may give students the openness he or she wants to collaborate with others, but it also has many risks when being allowed. For instance, Facebook as a prime example. I don't think there is anything wrong with Facebook for collaborating in the classroom, but when it comes to such things as bullying and looking at things we shouldn't there becomes problems. Also, as a teacher I presume I will have to include the wishes of the parents. Using social networking sites may not be allowed for certain students due to safety reasons or other issues. I don't think not allowing the use of social media solves any problems, but I also think there should be limitations and things to consider.

Often social media is used to reach a global audience, With any tool, there are negatives as well as positives. One of the negatives as you have mentioned is bullying. This could take place outside of school through social media. The problem as I see it, very few teachers are teaching ethical and safe internet use. Teachers can guide students through discussions on secure password protected blogs such as kidsblog, edmodo and other tools. With any internet tools shared, parent permission is a plus and should be obtained at the beginning of the year.

I believe that involving social media in the classroom is an excellent idea. Children will be able to interact with other children across the county, state, country, or even across the world. Teachers can set up a certain time with other teachers to allow their students the opportunity to "chat." This could work wonders on children who are shy. Being able to socialize without the pressure of other children judging them. The school system should create their own social network that would only be accessible to students, teachers, and school faculty. My only worry will be if the system will be able to be hacked into and the students be subjected to a predator. The safety of the children using the social network will have to be first. I also believe that there should be a certain age requirement for using the network and of course parent permission. Our society is advancing so fast in the world of technology, but the safety of the user must be the first priority.

I believe that social networking can be very helpful, if it is controlled. I believe that if we can teach students what is to be used at school and what is used for home, then students will enjoy school a lot more. Students will be able to collaborate with other students from different schools if they have this ability. I have to say that teachers have to also remember to give students time away from computers and social networking so they do not only learn how to use a computer but also how to talk to people outside computers.

I would think the focus should be on the standards while promoting the content, ethics, safety through literacy. It is not about the social networks but how they can be used to promote mastery learning.

You are hundred percent right - social media is a very powerful thing; however, this means it can be used in good or bad ways. I think that as we progress in to a more technological society that school systems have to embrace this and move in to the future with it. I believe social media is something students can be taught to use correctly or in ways that they never imagined before. In my opinion it is possible to create a lesson to show students just what you were talking about using social media in a way they probably never have before. For example, split the class in to groups and have them each choose a topic. Then using social media in a controlled environment let the students see what other people have to say for pros and cons. After the research is done, these finding can be presented to the class.This type of lesson is a controlled way of teaching healthy social media habits.

Incorporating social media into the classroom can be good or bad in my opinion. As a future elementary school teacher, I don't think kids at that age should be apart of a social network but if begin apart of a social network was strictly used for classroom and school purposes only then I think it would be appropriate. Having kids form relationships and bonds with other students over social networking can help kids open up and feel more comfortable in the classroom. You can use social networking to start debates and form collaborative ideas and opinions. Breaking the students into small groups on social networking sites to do problem solving activities would require every ones input and thought processes and can allow other students to share their ideas and strategies.

Strategies that I would use to make social collaboration and global connection into mastery learning would be using a blog. Having a link to an article that relates to the topic of a subject givien. Letting students collaborate by discussing amongs themselves about the subject maybe to come up with a solution if I give a problem. They interact, share information they find, and agree or disagree on the matter. A blog where I know its safe because I have created it and using reliable links.

I think that social media in the classroom can be extremely beneficial to the students. However this social media needs to be highly protected with security so there is no threat of online predators. Social media, the internet and technology are 95% of everything we do in life today. We should be teaching our students to learn these practical skills, like communicating with people across the world, in order to prepare them for the future. However I think that basic social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter should be blocked at school due to the misuse of these websites. Only highly protected and specialized social media websites should be used, especially for younger children.

Awesome topic Mrs. Holmes, technology is so advanced and convenient these days that human interaction is not even necessary. I agree that social media has played some major roles in life changing situations. It is quite crazy to me that some schools are shutting out Social Media instead of embracing it and using it to further education. I mean why not use something your students use daily in classroom instruction. To make Global Connection and Social Collaboration successful, i would design an interactive website for students that consisted of blog entries and games based on classroom instruction. The only downfall is the good old "technical difficulties" dilemma.

Social Media in the classroom was adopted since 2010 here in our division. An idea was adopted from internet blogging in which the teacher will post a certain lesson and pupils were ask to post their ideas/ comments about a certain topic (paper – ballpen method only). We even have a school blogging site of which pupils in any level can post their ideas and comments regarding certain topics in different subjects but sad to note that children were not so responsive to the idea because they feel ashamed if someone saw them writing their comments on the blogspot area and sometimes results to bullying. As the result they feel afraid to show their comments to other people inside the school campus. For me, it could be more interactive if this idea would bring reality to classroom setting in which children will use computers and write their questions/comments there to become more interactive. Though someone can read the comments but they will not be identified (except their teacher) for they will use screen name which the teacher only knows it. By this, addressing questions and clarifications regarding the topic become personalized and interactive as well.

My district is actually moving away from using social networking in the classroom. Schools are not allowed to have Facebook pages to promote their school, or get information out. Teachers cannot be friends with students on Facebook (I'm not anyway, but I can see where it could be a useful tool). For a while, our school district restricted the use of YouTube in the classroom, but thankfully allowed teachers to bring it back.

I do think there is a fine line between using social media in the classrooms, and abusing it. Unfortunately, there are those that will abuse it, and ruin it for the rest of us. I do hope that my district will move forward in allowing teachers and schools to use social networking responsibly in their classrooms. It is a great tool for understanding globalization and inter-connectedness.

Using social media in the classroom would be an effective and important use in the classroom considering most students are exposed to it at home. To bring this into the classroom shouldn't be as hard as it may seem because if there are monitors in the classroom, it should be easier to catch who may be abusing the sites. Some strategies I would use to promote collaboration and global connections would be blogs and instructional websites for students to express their thoughts and have a chance to see others. Blogs are commonly used today and give students an expressive voice without being worried about being judged while at the same time learning from each other.

I believe social media in the classroom is a great benefit for students and teachers. Lines can be crossed with social media. People will abuse the system. I firmly believe that it should only be used for educational purposes. I think in order to keep it safe and educational based blogs would be a great thing to use. Blogs allow students to collaborate together and share their own personal opinions. I find this very beneficial when using a blog. Also, one persons blog may open your eyes to a new idea, concept, theory, belief, key point and or way of thinking. As for websites, they need to be approved prior to using them in the classroom. If using a website like Youtube to enhance a lesson, you need to have the pop-up blocker on. There are many precautions one can take to ensure safe usage of the Internet for this day in age.

I think social media is a great way to interact with your students. However, the most common problem here in the Philippines is the internet connection and some of the schools have no computers. Another problem is the network which has no signal especially in schools that were far from the town.

Social media should be used in the classroom, however it needs to be monitored at the lower grades. For example the elementary students should not have their own Skype names but there should be a classroom Skype name. This will keep them safe on the Internet. Teachers and administration should control the media up until high school. There are several teachers who have Facebook and Twitter pages for their high school and college students to keep up to date with school work. I think that the use of social media will increase the knowledge base for children in elementary school with the use of Skype to communicate with other countries and create "web pals" instead of pen pals due to the technology we have available. I think that there should be certain social media sites that should be allowed in schools that were blocked at my high school such as YouTube.com. There is so much technology available for teachers to use positively in the classroom.

I do not think social media should be brought into the classroom. I agree that children should be able to talk to other students around the world but it needs to be closely monitored. I do not think social media sites like facebook, twitter, and instagram should be allowed in the classroom. There is campaigning against bullying but cyber bullying is terrible and if not more emotional damaging. I believe that it will help children learn about the new technologies that are arising and that our world is becoming more and more technology based, but whatever happened to real socializing? Technology can be a wonderful thing to help us communicate throughout the world and to other people but there are so many dangers that can occur, why bring that danger into the schools? Sites can be blocked but there are so many other ways to go around that. There are pedifiles online and perverts. School should be considered a safe zone. Students should NOT be friends with their teachers on facebook until after they graduate from high school. I will not have a facebook when I become a teacher because I do not want my students knowing my business. Social media is meant socializing and friends not for school.

You think as most Administrators do: Keep the kids in a safe, protected environment. Access to many types of social media distracts chlidren and is almost impossible to closely monitor. I can understand the concern of cyberbullying and predators online.

I do not think these networks such as Facebook or Twitter should be brought into the classroom. To begin with, it would be hard to moderate the use of these social networks and I believe they would be huge distractions. Although they have become huge phenomenons in the marketing and advertising world I do not believe they directly have a place in the classroom. However, I know they are a growing sensation and that is why I do support Youtube videos of these websites that demonstrate movements, such as the ones you mentioned above. Another idea I have would be to let students create a Facebook page on a bulletin board according to their course of study. This is still integrating Facebook into the classroom but it is keeping the distractions to a minimum and all of the focus on education.

From what I hear from everyone on here is that all of us agree that social media can be used in the classroom in many ways. I agree one way I have used social media in the classroom and my teachers have as well, is through the use of videos from YouTube. For example, recently I had to do a group presentation on a specific chapter of my textbook for my communication class. One of the requirements my teacher had for my group was to incorporate a video to show an example from the chapter we were presenting. My partners and I found a fantastic YouTube video that related to our content and not only did it have the class laughing but it helped them visually see the concept in action. Another kind of social media that has helped me tremendously is a blog, not only in this class but in others as well. Both of my TED (teacher education) classes require of us for homework to write blogs about articles we have read and most of the time there are specific instructions of what they want in the blog post. As any other student sometimes I have a hard time understanding a certain part of the instructions that the teacher has given us. This is where the benefit of blogs come in, sometimes a lot of my fellow students will have posted before me. What I do is I will skim through each one, not copy of course, to get an idea of what the teacher wants so I can write my own blog post. This can help save time as opposed to having to wait on the professor to answer an email or worrying whether they got your email or not. The use of social media in the classroom has helped me a lot and saved me a bunch of time. In short, I strongly support social media being integrated into the classroom, with limitations and the fixing of technical problems of course.

One of the biggest complaints with using social media sites is certainly the off-topic communication, and at worst, the rumor spreading and cyber bullying that can occur. If I was to use social media in the class, I think it would actually be highlighting the negative social components that can come with it, and tying those into an acting class setting. (Please note that in this example I'm using a hypothetical website that I can control, the lesson would have to be modified depending on the site I found.)

Focusing on the play The Crucible (which is about the Salem Witch trials) everyone in the class would be given a character that they would be playing online, and they would all interact together. Each character would have a list of character traits to portray, and students would not share which character they were playing. Some characters would have more power in the group, some would have secrets, and some would have people they were trying to bring down. The class would be allowed to pursue their own goals within these rules, and I would create external situations that occurred. Through this, students could examine the social constructs and hierarchies in social media, and get to perceive them from a different role than they might play in real life.

There are a lot of issues when using social media such as Facebook. There is a risk of students not paying attention, bullying, or doing a number of other inappropriate things during class. Yet, a lot of students do not bring their own computers to school so they have to use the school computers. So why don't school do what colleges do and have it so the teacher in the front can see everything that the students see on their screens? That way if a student is not doing what they are supposed to then the teacher will know. Now I also think things like Facebook can be a good resource. Students can use it to keep in contact about school. Teachers can set up a group on Facebook that is used as a study group, if a student does not understand they can go onto the group and ask other students in the class or even the teacher if they are on the group. I had never heard of Edmondo or schoology before. I looked up Edmondo and it is the coolest site i have ever seen for schools. It is like Facebook but for schools. It can also be used with parents so that they can see how their students are doing. Then Schoology seemed like a good site also. Out of the two I do prefer Edmondo.

I think the use of social media is a great idea for the classroom, if it is monitored responsibly. I think that if teachers allowed the use of cell phones in class it would cut back on the number of students not paying attention in class but if they had a signal blocker and used the cell phones for educational purposes. sites like twitter , facebook, and Skype would make great collaboration tools for students so they could come together and work on activities at first then come together in person and finish. This way they establish a relationship before and it would make them more comfortable around each other when they meet in person.

If given the opportunity I would use a weekly discussion board, this would provide a carefree environment for the kids that do not like to speak out in class to voice their opinion. I know children sometimes become intimidated by the entire class listening to what they have to say. The discussion board would provide an environment for those who want to voice their opinion but do not care to or is intimidated by the idea of speaking out in class. This would not only benefit them in participation but also it would help them to understand the material but alsoread what their other classmates have to say.

Personally, I think social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are very distracting to students; however, I do not completely disapprove of social media sites in school. By this I mean if a school system comes up with a controlled social media site that’s only accessible to only the teachers and students of that school and student safety is considered, then it’s ok. For instance, the best way I think social media in school can be used is teachers using blogs or discussion boards in their classroom which allow all students to express their ideas especially shy students. Also, I believe that student age and parent consent needs to be taken into consideration. I think if integrated the right way, social media is a great tool in education.

That is good that social networking started all of those movements. social networking closes the phisical distance gap, an emergency could go world wide in a matter of minutes now.However I would not want to use it in my classroom. There are way too many temptations for students on social networking sites. Students already half-way pay attention in class because they are on these websites and they are not suppose to be. I can only imagine it getting worse if the students were actually allowed to used the social networking website during class! I agree with you classroom chatter is less frequent and I think that is a problem. today's youth don't know how to communicate unless its on facebook, twitter, instagram, text messages etc... Social networking sites in someways handi-cap students. Some people because of there dependability on social networking sites are clueless in how to interact with people face to face. The student who is the most reserved and quite in class probably has a thriving personality on the internet. If I had to use social networking in a classroom setting, I would use it as an example to show how verbal, and face-to-face communication skills are being lost.

Using social media in the classroom is a good idea, but to an extent. If there were ways teachers could incorporate Twitter & Facebook to where they know it wouldn't distract the students then I think that would be a great idea, but if not then no. If the teacher were to use blogs, discussion boards, Skype, etc. I believe that would be an effective way of using social media in the classroom. Also, by using those different types of social media it would not only promote learning but it would also allow to children to hear/read everyone else's responses and possibly bring new insight to them about the topic.

This is such an interesting topic Mrs. Holmes! We actually discussed this in a few of my classes in high school. Social networking has become such an effective way of spreading ideas and communicating with people far away. I think using social media in a classroom setting is something that should always be monitored closely, but if used for the right purpose can be an effective mathod of teaching collaboration on a large scale. An example of using social media in the classroom from my own experience includes my teacher having the class use facebook as a means of collaborating as a group to create a pseudo page for a character from the book Frankenstein. We created the profile and used the information about the character found in the novel to fill out the personal information and create a few status' and comments. This was a good use of social media in the classroom but I believe there is a time and place for it and should not become overly relied upon. Given the opportunity, I would do something similar to what my teacher had us do. I would have students use social media to collaborate and create either a page or group to depict and discuss a topic covered in class. This strategy would promote mastery learning through collaboration and global connections by allowing them view what other students had said about a topic, create their own conclusions and compare and discuss them with their peers.

I would definitely try to have a time where kids can get on the computer and play games that are geared for learning (math skills, problem-solving, science, reading, etc.) because some kids learn better when they have fun and can do things for themselves. I would also love to have a project that kids must use the internet for (getting an article, getting a picture, etc.) as well as online homework assignments (with an alternate option for children without internet access at home). Any way that I can utilize technology to get kids interested and excited I am more than willing to try!

The idea of having social media in the classroom is a hard decision every teacher and school system must handle with care. No teacher should be forced to use social media, but I believe that if used correctly it could be beneficial. I believe students could thrive if being allowed to use social media as a source of branching out to communicate with other students around the world. For the teachers who are not ready to make the jump into the social scene there are classes that can teach them to how to effectively use a large variety of media in their classroom. Then after the classes, the teachers can choose to use the media or not to use the media. Worrying about the parents may be a huge problem when trying to incorporate new things into the classroom, as well as using the media in an age appropriate manner. Blogging is a great way to introduce media to students. I would feel comfortable allowing second and third graders use a blog to post drafts of papers, and then the final draft. This would show the progression of work throughout the school year. Using skype as a way to communicate with other classrooms around the world is also an effective strategy to learn about other cultures. There are a lot of benefits of using social media in the classroom, teachers just have to be open to trying.

I personally think, IF done with care, that use of website like Facebook in class should be allowed. I also think cell phones should also be allowed. I believe that if students are going to mess around and not listen to the teacher then that is there right. I also realize that teaching nowadays is all about making the grades. **I DON'T AGREE WITH THIS!** But, nonetheless, a lot lately, teachers are teaching only what they have to. That is a different argument, so back on topic. I realize that it is not realistic to allow students to have free range with all websites, ESPECIALLY, at really young ages. A discipline system should be put into affect when the rules are breached.

My personal teaching strategy would be free range. I think I would leave about 15 minutes open at the beginning of a lesson to go on whatever site they wish, obviously excluding LARGE no's. I would not, however, allow it after their work was done to ensure that no one rushed to get finished with their work. There would also be a rule, which states that if the rules were broken after their work begins then ALL privileges would be revoked, no questions asked.

I absolutely agree with you that Social Media websites are a good source to use for the classroom. Take for instance Youtube.com, during some of my lecture classes this semester my teachers are using Youtube as a resource to show an example of something that relates to the class. I think if students see a teacher using a website they are familiar with during a lesson, they would then become more interested in what the teacher is talking about. Maybe in the future if there was a way Youtube could create just a stream of educational videos like Schooltube.com or something like that, then computers in school could block other inappropriate or noneducational type videos. On the other hand I think it would be beneficial if there were a website like tumblr. com for students where they could blog about things they are talking about in class. That way the students can interact with one another and be talking about something educational rather than something noneducational. I would recommend Skype for younger students but definitely for the middle and high school students, that way they can connect with other cultures or other students in the nation about their school systems and how they are taught differently.

I agree that technology is an important part of learning and just life in general now-a-days. Adding on to what you were saying, I think that allowing children to use social media sites in the classroom and outside the classroom is a good idea, it is using something they already know and like to learn and collaborate on group activities. Especially with use outside of the classroom, students could make a study group using Facebook, or work on a group project using Skype.

I think social media in the classroom is a great idea! Judging by this thread alone, there is so much to learn from those on social networking sites. The concern I find, especially for students of a younger age, is monitoring how appropriate other people are in their responses. I think it's easy to communicate with students in your classroom and keep language, content, etc. appropriate over a social networking site. But once other people are brought to the equation it can get dangerous. Maybe if there was a website that was closely monitored that wouldn't allow people to use foul language, it would be appropriate for students. Otherwise, I think you're walking a thin, dangerous line.

I feel like social networking is slowly taking over. I almost feel like one day all classes will be online. We started out with myspace, facebook, twitter, pintrest, etc. Although social networking has a few negative roles in the classroom, it has many positive ones to outweight it! Schools should not ban social networking. I think providing limited access may be necessary because if students are on facebook during class they are obviously not paying attention. I think some strategies to promote mastery learning through collaboration and global connections would be creating a classroom wiki where students can work together to take notes on a lecture or collaborate. I also think resource like YouTube videos or other online links are good to enhance the learning environment.

I agree that YouTube is a great resource for teachers. Unfortunately, there are few schools out there with full access for teachers. I agree that students when in school should be blocked but most teachers have enough common sense to use only appropriate material.

I agree with many of these posts with the idea that technology is great for the classroom. Since technology is always advancing and has a direct effect on our social lives, it is important for students to have an introduction to technology. I think it will be hard to take this large topic (technology) out of schools, especially since students have contact with it every moment, even outside of school. It is great that districts are supporting technology advancements in the classroom! I think one technological advancement I have recently seen in schools is the use of Smart Boards! They are very interesting and students enjoy learning with them. This is a strategy to advance technology in the classroom because, with this one device, students can collaborate with each other, write on the board, and watch their teacher interact with technology, providing a good example of how to used the technology wisely. Global collaboration can be used through websites that connect schools around the world, for example, a class from America could skype a class from China or somewhere across the globe. Also, because teachers know free use laws, etc... they would be able to teach their students some of those rules in order for students to not take their technology for granted or over use it. These are both strategies I have seen in the class room and also what could help further our positive advancement in technology within the classroom.

I think social media in the classroom is very iffy. While it can be a valuable tool to express political views, support good causes, and promoting ideas, it is also a huge distraction for school aged children. If there were a way to let kids on Facebook and block all of the social "friend" action, then I think it would be great. While I don't think Facebook is the best option in school, I do think sometimes it can be beneficial. Outside of school, Facebook and other social media outlets can be used to form groups, collaborate ideas for projects, and get to know each other better outside of the classroom. I just think that in class, Facebook is too much of a distraction. I know that whenever my friends could break the ban on Facebook during school, it would be so exciting that we wouldn't pay attention to one thing the whole class period. Even though social media has many wonderful ideas to offer, I think that most students do not have enough self-control to use it for solely academic purposes in the classroom.

The school district that I went to through high school gave every student from fourth grade through twelfth grade a macbook of their own and to take home. All of the social media websites were blocked on the laptops which I found very helpful. Even the most motivated students always became distracted while using the computers and would try and find a way to communicate with friends via social media. We used a website called angel learning where we would have discussions, chats, and upload assignment, very similar to blackboard. This was an effective way for students to communicate because the teacher also monitored them. I think it is important to use social media while teaching but but also set boundaries because students will easily get distracted and want to play games.

I'm glad to hear the suggestions of how teacher moderated social media can be beneficial. I can see how much easier this could be in helping students recognize and stay within the appropriate boundaries.

I feel social networks should be allowed in schools. When I attended school, facebook and twitter were blocked, but us students always found a way around the blocks. I feel no matter how much they're blocked, students are clever and they're going to find a way around the blocks. As a teacher I would make social networks available to students with certain limits. Before given access to social networks I will teach them the importance and how to be safe while using these networks. Students would also be monitored, and the computers will be in an open area where everything done on the computer can be seen.

I believe that some websites are good for the classrooms like YouTube. YouTube can be used for more educational purposes. I never like when it would get filtered in the school computers in high school. However, I feel like Facebook and Twitter shouldn't be used at the moment. Students could easily get distracted by someone's post or tweet. I understood why those social networks were blocked. In college, whenever I look over at others' computers, i either see Facebook or Twitter. It is taking the attention away from the teacher. I'm not saying i wouldn't enjoy getting to use social networks for educational purposes. I just don't think it would work out for a long time unless they were controlled.

I think that If we are going to use social websites in the classroom they should consist of things that are positive and have a little more control behind them. Yes, Facebook and twitter are being used by many companies, organizations, and businesses, but should we really incorporate that into our educational settings? In my opinion, somethings should be left to use outside of school. Facebook and Twitter bring so many things to the table as far as social media and they are not always positive. Students may get to involved in statuses and tweets to focus on the educational topic at hand. I just do not think that web sites of that caliber are mature enough for the educational world. If we are going to use any type of social media let us use websites that end in org or at least have a lot of reference to education. Those would be the kinds of websites that I would use. Or websites such as youtube, as someone stated before would be okay because it can be used for educational purposes and many times teachers have students post videos pertaining to their class so that other classmates can see.

I feel like social media can have both a positive and negative benefit in the classroom, depending on how it is used. Some social media can be a distraction to students because sometimes all they want to do is use it for non-educational purposes. Social media can have boundaries set on it, so if those boundaries are set, I think it is beneficial to have in a classroom. During high school there were some classes where teachers would have the students create a Facebook account and interact with other students in the classroom. For example, one assignment was to create a Facebook account from the perspective of a teenager from the 1920’s. We had to fill in the information section and post comments to other students in the class. Social media can also be a good tool for students to use so that they can communicate with each other in a blog.

Technology and social media is definitely on the rise in today's society. I feel like this could be very useful to the education environment. Number one reason being that a majority of the students in any given classroom are going to have some sort of social network means (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.). I think however that using these means of social media to engage with students could present some problems. For instance, monitoring what the students are coming across while using certain social media softwares would be a difficult task. I am working to become an elementary teacher and even though I know that elementary aged students still use social media as forms of interaction I would be uncomfortable using it and trying to monitor the use within a classroom.

Technology and social networks are a huge thing in today's society. I am sure that having this could be very useful in the education environment, but I think that it should be more towards kids in middle school and high school to use these social networks, I think that kids in the elementary setting need to grasp the concept of using the internet and the rights and wrongs of using it. The big thing about these social networks is control and to get control in the classroom of it. I am kind of in the same boat Katy Jenson I would be uncomfortable using it and trying to monitor it in the classroom. I have never heard of the similar things to Facebook things like edmodo. But it is something I am going to look into.

I feel as if Facebook and twitter could be used as an educational tool as well as a social networking site. On Facebook the user is allowed to create groups and add certain people to the group that they have created. This is an advantage because it allows student of a class to connect to one another, share opinions and have discussions, and do it in a way that is simple and familiar to them. We use networking sites in a lot of ways, for example “Blackboard” dot com, a website used by my school, is an online source to connect with teachers of mine, check my grades, and complete assignments. This is an excellent tool that makes learning and completing word a lot easier and less stressful. Social networking sites can be used in many different ways and they can be used as an advantage when teaching.

I think that social media has a very important role in the classroom and trying to block it out of the classroom completely will just create sneaky kids that will try and get around it. An advantage of social media is it allows students to work together without physically sitting next to each other. To use social media in my classroom I would probably want some loose filters in place, just so that students can't run wild and do inappropriate things with it. But I think it is helpful to be able to help students as a group or as an individual with questions they might have about assignments or homework during non-school hours. I think that makes social media very valuable. I don't like the idea of using facebook and twitter as much as alternative sites and that way it might stay more focused on educational purposes.

When i think about how things run nowadays i am put to understand that technology is taking part of our every day lives from the cutting utencils that we utilize in the kitchen to the portable divises that we carry in our purses. When i think of all that i realize that if we have been using these things in our every day lives think about in school. Technology have been and probably will be a great part of the everyday lives of our students. I guess that as far as social media it is something that we can control while our students are in school, but something that is uncontrolable once they are out of it. It actually makes me laugh when i see a 11 or 12 year old child on facebook or twiters talking about each and everything they are doing.

Rather than limiting access to social networking sites within schools I believe we should instill a sense of responsibility about using social networking. Because of smart phones and PDA’s it is impossible to keep students from using these sites while in class, so why try? Instead it is important to focus on social learning sites that limit membership through school affiliation. A good example of this is Blackboard. Blackboard is an underused and undeveloped resource. Blackboard already has a great foundation for learning and even a means to communicate socially through discussion boards, yet membership is limited through your school subscription. Blackboard is a safe way to participate in and exchange in ideas, it lacks only the profile customization of larger for profit social networking sites. Blackboard also provides the teachers/professors tools with which to monitor student’s access and behavior. It is easy on Blackboard for an instructor to guide discourse through announcements and assignments. The use of Blackboard in conjunction with classroom instruction is the ideal setting for the promotion and dissemination of education.

Ahh...Blackboard. Yes, why not go back to one of the originals that have proven to work successfully. The only hesitation may be the cost. Do you know how much it is to run? I have only experienced it at the college level.

Social media has become a vital part in modern society. Social media is becoming increasingly important for this era, because of increasing global outreach potential offered by the internet. Social media proves a double edged sword. Students can contact, address and influence many other people at the same time all around the world, via various forms of social media. But for youth and students, it is not much beneficial as students get addicted to it and totally forget their aims, goals and responsibilities.

In Pakistani schools and College the use of social sites/media is not in practice and even teachers discourage to use these. It is also a practice to prohibit social sites in colleges. As it amounts as wastage of time in their perception.

I consider it not all wrong. Social media can prove of great benefit if use with a little caution in class. It can create a bridge of connection between student and teacher. I am using Facebook to highlight the activities of students of my institute and find it good experience.

Social Media is good if it is use properly and for gathering important information needed in education. Too much use of Social Media will give bad effects to the education of the students. Students should be guided well before having this Social Media. This is timely since we wanted to bring technologies inside the classroom and to our students.

I believe that technology is an important part of learning. Allowimg students to use social media sites in the classroom is a good idea. I almost feell like one day all classes will be online. Global collaboration can be use

Gail, I have mixed feelings about using Social Media in the classroom. While I do agree that it can be used for collaboration, I'm wondering if there are not better platforms to do this with. I see Social Media, such as Facebook, as a great place to post information, links, and other educational materials, but I question why this is better than other sites.

On the negative side, I have had the opportunity to see first hand what can happen when someone posts on another's Facebook page (as the other person) information that is wrong and could possibly do damage to relationships in a family.

Social Media, like anything else, is a tool and we need to teach our students how to properly and effectively use that tool.